The Life of HRH The Prince of Wales

As our future King celebrates his 70th birthday, we take a look back at his life and work so far.

A Prince is born

On 14th November 1948, The Queen - then Princess Elizabeth - and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, celebrated the birth of their first child. Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace at 9.14pm, weighing 7lb and 6oz.

A proclamation was posted on the Palace railings just before midnight, announcing that Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth had given birth to a son.

Christening

The young Prince Charles was christened on 15th December in The Music Room at Buckingham Palace, by The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher.

Childhood at Clarence House

For the first few years of his life, Prince Charles lived at Clarence House with his parents, then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Prince Charles pictured with his grandfather, King George VI...

...and beloved grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip's second child, Princess Anne, was born nearly two years after Prince Charles, on 15 August 1950.

Prince Charles is pictured here with his younger sister Princess Anne, in October 1952, when they were photographed by Marcus Adams.

Heir Apparent

Prince Charles' grandfather, King George VI, died on 6 February 1952. His mother was proclaimed Queen Elizabeth II, making 3-year-old Prince Charles the heir apparent. The Queen's coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, where the young Prince was pictured between his grandmother, The Queen Mother, and aunt, Princess Margaret.

As heir to the throne, Prince Charles took on the traditional title: The Duke of Cornwall.

The family is pictured here in 1953, shortly after The Queen's Coronation.

Three years later, in November 1956, Prince Charles started school at Hill House School in west London.

The following academic year, he became a boarder at Cheam preparatory school in Berkshire.

In 1958, aged nine, The Prince was given the titles The Prince of Wales and The Earl of Chester.

Prince Charles meeting David Attenborough with his sister, Princess Anne.

Prince Charles's younger brother Prince Andrew - now The Duke of York - was born in 1960.

His youngest brother, Prince Edward (pictured in front, with The Prince of Wales), was born in 1964. Prince Edward is today Earl of Wessex.

In April 1962, Prince Charles started at Gordonstoun, a school in eastern Scotland where his father, The Duke of Edinburgh (pictured with The Prince), had studied.

During 1966 he spent two terms as an exchange student in Melbourne, Australia, at Timbertop - a remote outpost of the Geelong Church of England Grammar School.

The Prince returned to Gordonstoun to sit his A Levels and was appointed school guardian (head boy).

Student life

The Prince started at the University of Cambridge in 1967, studying archaeology and anthropology at Trinity College. As a student, he was a member of Trinity College's drama group, The Dryden Society, and also played the cello. The Prince changed to history for the second part of his degree, and left in 1970 with a 2:2 degree.

Investiture

In July 1969 The Queen invested Prince Charles as The Prince of Wales. The ceremony took place at Caernarfon Castle, and The Prince had previously spent a term at The University College of Wales at Aberystwyth, learning Welsh. The following February, while still a student at Cambridge, The Prince took his seat in The House of Lords.

Military career

Between March and September 1971, The Prince of Wales trained as a jet pilot at Royal Air Force (RAF) Cranwell in Lincolnshire. He then went on to pursue a career in The Royal Navy, like his father, grandfather and great-grandfathers. The Prince trained at The Royal Naval College in Dartmouth before serving on HMS Norfolk, a guided missile destroyer.

His Royal Highness qualified as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in 1974 and joined the 845 Naval Air Squadron, which operated from the Commando carrier HMS Hermes.

The Prince of Wales pictured with brothers Prince Andrew and Prince Edward in 1979.

Marriage to Diana Spencer

On 29 July 1981, The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral. She became The Princess of Wales.

Together, the couple had two sons. Prince William (shown here) was born on 21 June 1982, and christened on 4 August.

Prince Harry was born on 15 September 1984, and christened on 21 December.

The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, but The Princess continued to be seen as part of The Royal Family, living at Kensington Palace and carrying out public work for a number of charities.

The Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

The young Princes William and Harry were raised at Kensington Palace, but are shown here on the shores of Loch Muick during a family holiday to Balmoral.

Marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles

The Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker Bowles on 9 April 2005 at a civil ceremony in The Guildhall, Windsor. The ceremony was followed by a service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and a reception hosted by HM The Queen at Windsor Castle. Camilla became known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

The Prince with his extended family.

This photograph was taken at a dinner party hosted by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House to celebrate the Diamond Wedding Anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh (2007).

Public engagements and charitable work

The Prince of Wales, along with his wife and sons, has supported a wide range of causes and charities over the years, as well as taking part in public engagements on behalf of The Royal Family. In 2017/18, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall undertook 619 public engagements around the world. In the space of 12 months they visited 85 cities, towns and villages across 44 counties of the UK. They also travelled to 15 different countries, including 10 in The Commonwealth.

Their Royal Highnesses' public engagements are wide-ranging. Here, The Prince of Wales attends a Garter Day celebration with his sister, The Princess Royal.

Their Royal Highnesses visit the Sandringham Flower Show.

The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge at Holyrood Palace.

The Prince of Wales attending The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo with his son, The Duke of Cambridge.

An official portrait released to mark The Prince’s 60th birthday.

He’s wearing the ceremonial uniform of The Welsh Guards, of which he has been Colonel-in-Chief since 1975.

A family photograph taken at the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visit the ITV This Morning studios.

The Prince of Wales and his son, The Duke of Sussex, attend a meeting to discuss the health of coral reefs.

As a style icon, His Royal Highness has always been a passionate supporter of British fashion and manufacturing.

He is known for his love of suits from homegrown fashion designers, and drives an Aston Martin, converted to run on bioethanol made from wine wastage and a by-product of cheese-making, pictured here.

Ahead of his 70th birthday, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales was featured on the cover of British GQ's October 2018 issue.

As part of GQ's annual Man Of The Year Awards, The Prince was awarded The Editor's Lifetime Achievement Award For Services To Philanthropy.

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales celebrates his 70th birthday on 14 November 2018, alongside his immediate and extended family - including: his parents, HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; his wife, The Duchess of Cornwall; his two sons and daughters-in-law, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex; and his three grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

They are shown here at the wedding of HRH's youngest son Harry, The Duke of Sussex, to Meghan Markle, now The Duchess of Sussex, in May 2018.

The Prince's birthday celebrations were made all the more special by the recent announcement that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child - a fourth grandchild for The Prince of Wales, due in Spring 2019.

This family photograph was released to mark the 70th Birthday of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

It was taken by photographer Chris Jackson in the garden at Clarence House in September 2018, where His Royal Highness was photographed with Their Royal Highnesses The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.